Fw: From Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam's desk

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Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:42 PM

FW: From Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam's desk

---- >

>

>

>

> Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam's speech in Hyderabad.

>

>

> "I have three visions for India.

>

>

> In 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come

> and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander

> onwards, the Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British,

> the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was

> ours.

>

>

> Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered

> anyone.

>

>

> We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to

> enforce our way of life on them.

>

>

> Why? Because we respect the freedom of others.

>

>

> That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM. I believe that India got

> its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence.

> It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we

> are not free, no one will respect us.

>

>

> My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a

> developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation.

>

>

> We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10

> percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our

> achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the

> self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self- reliant and

> self-assured. Isn't this incorrect?

>

>

> I have a THIRD vision.

>

>

> India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that, unless India

> stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects

> strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an

> economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand.

>

>

> My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr. Vikram

> Sarabhai of the Dept. of space,

>

>

> Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr.Brahm Prakash, father of

> nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them

> closely and consider this the great opportunity of my life.

>

>

> Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to

> recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation.

> We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them.

>

>

> Why?

>

>

> We are the first in milk production.

>

>

> We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

>

>

> We are the second largest producer of wheat.

>

>

> We are the second largest producer of rice.

>

>

> Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a

> self-sustaining, self driving unit.

>

>

> There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in

> the bad news and failures and disasters.

>

>

> I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the

> day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place.

> The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture

> of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land

> into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone

> woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were

> inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

>

>

> In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we

> so NEGATIVE?

>

>

> Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things?

>

>

> We want foreign TVâ?Ts, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

> Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that

> self-respect comes with self-reliance?

>

>

> I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14-year-old girl asked me

> for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I

> want to live in a developed India.

>

>

> For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must

> proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed

> nation.

>

>

> Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

>

>

> Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is

> yours.

>

>

> YOU say that our government is inefficient.

>

>

> YOU say that our laws are too old.

>

>

> YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.

>

>

> YOU say that the phones don' t work, the railways are a joke, the airline

> is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.

>

>

> YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute

> pits.

>

> YOU say, say and say.

>

> What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore..... Give

> him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS.

>

> YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best.

>

> In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the

> stores.

>

> YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.

>

> You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of

> Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.

>

> YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have

> over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status

> identity.

>

> In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in

> public during Ramadan,

>

> In Dubai YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

>

> YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London

> at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls a

> re billed to someone else."

>

> YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph > (88 km/h) in Washington and

> then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I

> am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost."

>

> YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage

> pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.

>

> Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo?

>

> Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in

> Boston???

>

> We are still talking of the same YOU.

>

> YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but

> cannot in your own.

>

> You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch

> Indian ground.

>

> If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country,

> why cannot you be the same here in India?

>

>

> Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay,

> Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the

> streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said.

> "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the

> authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the

> officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the

> pressure in his bowels?

> In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job.

> Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right.

>

>

> We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all

> responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the

> government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally

> negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to

>stop chucking

> garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray

> piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide

> clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

>

>

> We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and

> toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least

> opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on

> the service to the public.

>

>

> When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry,

> girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and

> continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system

> which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights

> to a dowry." So who's going to change the system?

>

>

> What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our

> neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities and the

> government. But definitely not me and YOU.

>

>

> When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system

> we lock ourselves along with

>

>

> our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries

> far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us

> with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

>

>

> Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their

> glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to

> England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight

> out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and

> brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape

> the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is

> mortgaged to money.

>

>

> Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great

> deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....I am echoing

> J.F.Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

>

>

> "ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA

> WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

>

> Lets do what India needs from us.

>

> Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or

> junk mails.

>

> Thank you,

>

>

> Dr. Abdul Kalaam

>

> (PRESIDENT OF INDIA)